San Joseph’s latest single gives the audience an insight on the inner workings of his mind while highlighting his unique songwriting talent. “Tom Cruise” details the aftermath of a toxic relationship and the difficulties that can come with it. When this type of relationship ends, it is hard to avoid the triggers and hurdles that can cause you to return to this unhealthy relationship. San Joseph illustrates his own experience with this situation, and his attempt to try to navigate these obstacles. In the chorus, he reveals the clever hook: “Tripwire, tripwire// One wrong move and I fall back into you// And I fall back into you, yeah// Tripwire, trip// But I'm no Tom Cruise, so I fall back into you.” Unlike the song’s classic movie star’s namesake, San Joseph is unable to land these outrageous stunts. He is trying to avoid the lasers and defuse the bombs, but he ends up setting off the alarms and cutting the wrong wire. This toxic relationship is easy to fall back into, and San Joseph admits that avoiding this is “a mission impossible.” The metaphor used throughout the track is a brilliant use of imagery by utilizing familiar pop culture references to expose this unhealthy relationship.
“Tom Cruise” combines inspiration from late 90’s pop music and San Joseph’s individualistic sound to create an unforgettable alt-pop track. The song kicks off with his muffled vocals singing the lyrics, “fall back into you.” These vocals reverberate as the melody and the beat make their entrance. San Joseph’s soothing voice guides the listener through the song. Halfway through the verse, the subtle bass and synth beat are added, before the high energy chorus takes off with the full production. The production throughout the song remains a steady structure that exemplifies his innate ability to perfectly balance the production and the vocals. The catchy melody paired with the unique storyline makes for an unforgettable track that is meant to be played on repeat. The corresponding music video brings the action movie references to life. San Joseph is seen throughout wearing a classic secret agent suit, while undergoing different action movie scenes, such as a money vault, a hallway full of lasers, and freefalling out of an airplane. All these scenes are done with San Joseph in front of a green screen that plays these different scenes. This is meant to be comedic and draw attention to the notion that he is not Tom Cruise, as the movie star is known to do his own live stunts. At the end of the video, San Joseph is seen breaking character by laughing and walking away from the green screen. Then, with his laughing heard in the background, a text appears that reads: “Joseph broke character and couldn’t finish the take. Turns out he really is no Tom Cruise.” Whether this was staged or not, this was a clever way to end the video and make it lighthearted and fun for the audience. It showcases San Joseph’s fun-loving character while still representing the cheeky metaphor. With his outstanding talent and relatable personality on display, “Tom Cruise” deserves to be San Joseph’s breakout single that leads him to the superstardom he deserves.
San Joseph is an alt-pop singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. He made his debut in 2021 with his single, “Blink Twice.” The track has over half a million streams on Spotify alone. Later that year, he released an acoustic version of the track that garnered additional streams. “Tom Cruise” marks his fifth single overall and his second single of 2023. Currently, he is working on his debut EP which is set for a possible release later this year. San Joseph’s music blends multiple genres, such as alternative, indie, retro pop, modern pop, and pop-punk, to create a sound that is uniquely his own. His influences stem from modern artists such as Finneas and Dominic Fike and legendary bands such as the Eagles. He continues to write and release music that sticks with listeners and represent who he is as an artist.
Written By Karlee Skipper
FOLLOW SAN JOSEPH: